


Standing Still

by TheOtherOdinson



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Avengers AU, Gen, Loki Has Issues, Tony has houseguests, and now so does Thor, and why does Tony get stuck dealing with god issues?, confused Avengers are confused, he has his own problems, not all of them invited, not canon compliant post-Avengers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-11-22
Packaged: 2018-07-24 15:57:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7514386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOtherOdinson/pseuds/TheOtherOdinson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One year after the invasion of New York, Tony Stark receives two unexpected houseguests. One is welcome, the other not so much. Tony would love to know why they're there. So would everyone else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Tony slowed as he rounded the corner and caught sight of Loki standing in front of the floor to ceiling windows. Just where Jarvis told him. Not anxious for a repeat of what happened the last time the two of them where standing in this room, Tony approached him with caution.

"Enjoying my view?"

"Your people are odd," Loki said, ignoring his question while not taking his eyes off the city below.

"Oh yeah? How you figure?"

"So much emphasis placed on the need to get from one insignificant task to the next in such a mad rush it borders on panic, yet at the same time not providing themselves with sufficient means to do so."

Tony shrugged off the observation. "It's why New York doesn't sleep."

Loki looked at him with confusion. "Do mortals no longer require sleep?"

"Sure we do. We just do our best to find bigger and better ways around it. Coffee. Red Bull. Netflix."

Loki looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but said nothing and turned back to the window.

After waving bye-bye to the Asgardians after the invasion, the Avengers had gone their separate ways. Over the course of the next year, one by one they'd each drifted close enough to Tony's orbit for him to roll out the welcome mat to his newly repaired and repurposed tower. No sooner had he coaxed Bruce Banner through his front door with the promise of all the science he could handle when suddenly two unexpected visitors showed up on his rooftop in a brilliant burst of light. One welcome, one not so much.

The following days had been less than fun. Also, loud.

Thor's explanation was tight-lipped to say the least. Saying Midgard was where Odin wanted Loki to be and Thor would not leave him. Actually, Thor had said he _could not_ leave him. Natasha was insistent that it made a difference. Countless attempts followed to get Thor to elaborate, along with more attempts to point out why Loki vacationing in Stark/Avengers Tower wasn't a good idea, failed.

Bringing in Fury had been the next step. They watched while he cajoled, threatened, and attempted to coax information forth. It was fun to watch while it lasted. Unstoppable force meets, well, Thor. Then Thor pulled out his big gun and told Fury if he wanted Thor's continued cooperation in the defence of Earth, then he needed to accept baby brother as part of the package. Fury caved and Tony had two gods as house guests.

_"Why are you okay with this?" Bruce had asked at the time._

_"I can give you the usual spiel about how I'd rather know what Loki's doing and where he is at all times."_

_"Or?"_

_"Or I could mention there's obviously something going on that Thor can't or won't tell us. And that makes it in our best interest to keep on top of Loki." Tony paused. "But not literally. I didn't mean that literally. I have no interest in being on top of Loki."_

Most of the team de-camped immediately after Loki showed up. It was only after Rogers called each of them to ask if they were really comfortable leaving Tony alone to deal with the Loki situation that they all came dragging back. Jarvis was tasked with keeping track of Loki at all times. If he so much as picked up a butter knife they would know about it. After one particular fun-filled Avengers meeting, sans Thor, Barton crankily asked how Jarvis would keep Loki from disemboweling them all in their sleep and dancing in their entrails. That's when they started sleeping in shifts.

Turned out they had little worry about. Loki was rarely seen outside of Thor's rooms and never without Thor. Hearing him talk was rarer still. As far as they, and Jarvis, could tell Loki did nothing of interest. He read. He looked out windows for hours. He sparred with Thor. Sometimes he watched movies. He slept. A lot. Gone was the cackling megalomaniac who'd trashed New York the previous year. In his place was this quiet, pale shadow they could almost forget was even in the tower. Almost.

And still they couldn't figure out why he was here.

Tony shoved his hands in his pockets and sidled a little closer, keeping out of arms reach for whatever it would be worth if Loki decided _fuck it_ and snapped Tony's neck for funsies. Looked out over the city they'd fought over not too long ago in silence for a long moment before Tony could no longer stand the quiet. Plus he figured this was a good a chance as any to pick up some intel.

"So, what's it like where you come from?"

"Asgard is the Realm Eternal, of course," Loki answered, his tone mild. "The great, shining beacon to which all the other realms can only look upon with awe and envy, knowing they can never equal its glory."

"Was that sarcasm? I can never tell with you."

Loki made a breathy sound of amusement in his throat. "If the answer is not to your liking, perhaps you should ask better questions."

"Okay." Tony bounced a little on the balls of his feet. He took in the sight of Loki's profile noting his eyes were looking out over the cityscape, but not moving like he was really looking at New York. More like he was fixed on one spot. Tony tried to pick out where he may be looking, or not looking, but gave up quickly. For one thing, Asgardians had better vision than humans and it was possible Tony wouldn't be able to see whatever Loki was looking at anyway. For another, he didn't really care.

Tony changed tracks. "So, you're a prince right?"

"The son of a king is usually a prince, yes."

King of Midgard was no-go but Tony thought Loki could be a shoe-in if King of Withering Disdain ever came up for grabs. "It's amazing to me you can even keep your balance perched high up there on ol' Mt. Snooty."

Loki turned his attention away from the window and onto Tony. Tony wondered not for the first time if he ever even saw _him_. Any of them. Or were they little more than insect splatter specks on the windshield of his existence.

"Is there something you require of me, Tony Stark? If you would but ask, I will consider granting it if it will spare me further verbal torment at your hands."

 _Touchy._ "Is that a fancy way of asking me to shut up?"

Loki's mouth twitched. It was blink-and-miss, but Tony hadn't blinked. Definitely a twitch. "What if I said yes?"

Tony shrugged. "You wouldn't be the first person to say it. Won't be the last."

"And do you? Shut up, when asked?"

Tony grinned. "Nah. Not my style."

Loki's mouth twitched again.

"So, listen, are you or Thor ever going to tell us just what you're doing here?"

Loki tilted his head a fraction and considered him for a long moment. "One day, Stark."

"Care to narrow it down?"

"Loki."

And there was big brother now. Tony was wondering how long it would take him to notice baby bro had given him the slip. Thor stood only far enough in the room to be seen and heard. Waiting for Loki to come to him.

Loki gave Tony a ghost of a smile before drifting across the floor to join his brother. And then they were both gone.

Tony stayed at the window and wondered just what the hell was going on.

 

***  *  ***

 

He told Pepper about the meeting because he tells Pepper everything. Or he tries to. He definitely tells her lots of things at least some of the time. Even when she wishes he wouldn't.

"It's not like I went in there after him because I'm some stalker who just happened to tell his AI to monitor every move Loki makes and every breath he takes," Tony said.

"Of course not," she agreed reasonably.

"It's not like the song. That I never made that connection with before now." Tony hummed a little, thinking about the lyrics as he went. "Huh. That actually is a really creepy song."

"Uh-huh."

"He was alone. Without big brother around. It seemed a perfect opportunity to ask him stuff," Tony explained.

"And hope he wasn't in the mood to throw you out a window? Again."

"Pfft! What were the odds of lightning striking twice? That was not a Thor pun by the way." She looked skeptical. He hurried on. "Anyway, I figure if Loki's going to throw me out the window again, he'd at least pick a different window."

"I'm so glad to hear you thought it through before you walked into the room, alone and unarmed, with the high powered alien who tried to kill you just last year."

Tony was always amazed, and more than a little impressed, by her ability to tell him he was an idiot without coming right out and saying the words. "Hey, it's not like lots of other people haven't tried to kill me."

"Please don't remind me."

The conversation was going great so far.

Tony hadn't seen Pepper in person since hustling her onto a plane within hours of the Norse gods reappearance. Wherever Loki was, whatever was going on, Tony wasn't going to take any chances with her safety. She hadn't wanted to leave and he'd had to fight dirty to get her on that plane.

_"Please don't make me beg," he'd begged._

_"Oh my god, all right, okay, I'll go. Just...put the eyes away."_

_"I don't know what you're talking about." Tony blinked a couple extra times for good measure._

_She didn't come right out and say 'bullshit', but she was thinking it. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."_

_"So, deal is I put away my big, sad brown eyes and you go to London where it's 100% space viking free, right?"_

_Pepper sighed, defeated. "Right." And she had gotten on the plane._

"So you talked to Loki without Thor and without getting killed. Good job. Did you figure out what they're doing there?" Pepper wanted to know.

And wasn't that the question everyone wanted answered.

 

***  *  ***

 

"Hasn't anyone figured out what they're doing here?" The longer he had to breathe under the same roof as Loki, the crankier Barton was becoming. Tony hadn't actually seen the man drink an entire pot of coffee straight out of the pot, but he strongly suspected it was only a matter of time. In the - admittedly brief - time Tony had known the man, Barton seemed the cool under pressure type. That all went flying out the door the second Loki walked through it. Apparently having your will overridden to serve a megalomaniac will do that to a person no matter how good SHIELD's shrinks are at patching your psyche back together. "We should just go up there and make that bastard tell us."

"Yeah, that'll work. Flawless plan," Tony said, marveling how this was his life now. Bickering with Barton over coffee and breakfast muffins.

Overnight Tony went from sharing his home with his awesome fiance to sharing it with two assassins he suspected didn't sleep, a supersoldier who didn't seem to sleep either, a cool scientist slash rage monster who seemed to really dig quality sleep whenever he could get it, and two ye olde world god-types, both of whom made one hell of a mess the last time they were in town, albeit for different reasons. One of the gods slept a lot and the other seemed to be sleeping with one eye open and fixed on the other at all times. It was weird. Tony wasn't one to pass comment on the family dynamics of other people, but after they discussed it at length over breakfast one morning the rest of team agreed with his weirdness assessment.

After Thor and Loki moved in uninvited, Tony had taken the not unreasonable step of having their would-be conqueror monitored by Jarvis. When Steve insisted they tell Thor he and Loki would be observed, Thor demanded they cease spying on them immediately.

_"Matters between my brother and myself are no one's affair but our own. As princes of Asgard, our discussions are for not for the ears of outsiders."_

Thor had been extra tall and imposing while issuing his you-can't-watch-us-because-my-hammer-and-I-say-so directive. Tony hated it when people made him feel short in his own tower.

After a lot of back and forth, Thor conceded their point that only insane people would let Loki go unmonitored in the very place where he staged his invasion of their planet. They compromised - visual monitoring only except in the event of an emergency. Thor and Loki's suite contained two bathrooms and spacious, walk-in closets in both bedrooms and Tony agreed not to monitor the spaces where it was most likely the gods would be naked.

_"Do you know how much money I could make with a few photos of Thor with his shirt off?" Tony bitched to Steve later._

_"If it makes you feel better, I'll let you make money with a few photos of me with my shirt off," Steve offered, not even looking up from his laptop._

_"Deal. And if you wouldn't mind one shot of you posing with just your shield? Pepper's birthday is coming up. I never know what to get her."_

_"Only if I get to throw the shield at your head after."_

_"Would I be allowed to duck?"_

_"No."_

If only that had been the end of it. Instead Tony had watched Thor disassemble one of the California king beds, frame and all, and carry the whole lot into Loki's chosen room and reassemble it next to his brother's bed, which Thor moved over several feet to make room by planting his boot on the frame and pushing. Judging by the clenched fists and rapid lip movements going on, Loki had been less than thrilled with this plan. When Loki seemed to retaliate by carting an overstuffed chair and footstool into one of the walk-ins, Thor responded by removing the closet's double doors. It wasn't long after a book came sailing out and whacked Thor in the back of the head.

They had settled down somewhat since. Loki spent a lot of hours hiding in his closet/bolthole. All Jarvis could see of him when he was in there were his feet when they were propped up on a footstool. The brothers spent a lot of time together, mostly ignoring each other. Occasionally they had some throw down arguments culminating in thunder and lightning on the outside, and with Loki crackling with hostility and throwing things on the inside. There had been a few times Tony was close to calling it an emergency and telling Jarvis to turn on the sound, but the brothers always ratcheted it down themselves and went back to ignoring one another. Or, more accurately, Loki went back to ignoring Thor while Thor spent his every waking moment watching Loki ignore him.

As he said - weird. Even when the rest of the team were hanging out together, Thor kept his distance.

"Can you come up with something better?" Barton shot back after knocking back another mug full of coffee. "Oh wait, you had a chance to get information out of him and you blew it."

"Hey!"

"That's enough. We're all after the same thing here." And Steve just can't let them sit around and snipe at each other because he's a killjoy.

"Are we?" Barton asked. "Because I know how much Fury wants intel, but I'm willing to settle for anything that gets Loki off this planet one way or another."

Tony turned to Natasha who was being suspiciously quiet while sipping her coffee. "Yeah, what about Fury's intel? Thor comes back with Loki in tow. Promises Fury he'll help out when need be in exchange for Loki staying unmolested by SHIELD. What's up with that?"

Natasha took another deliberate sip of coffee before answering. "Something's going on in Asgard. Fury wants to know if it's something he's going to have to worry about down the line. The longer Thor and Loki stay, the better chance we'll get more information about what they're hiding from."

Tony gave her a look. "And just when were you planning to share this with the rest of the class?"

Natasha shrugged. "I just did."

"It makes sense," Bruce said, slowly. He ducked his head when he realized everyone's attention was on him, but kept talking and was quick to start making eye contact again.  "When you think about it. Thor took Loki home as a prisoner, bound and gagged. He promised Loki would face justice there. And yet they came back. They brought luggage. I can't say I know anything about Asgardian justice, but I think it's safe to say something went sideways after they went home."

Bruce glanced around at all of them when he was finished and Natasha offered him one of her quirky half smiles that got Bruce smiling back. Tony never got any of those. He pulled a face at her that she ignored.

"Yeah, the enormous trunks they brought along were hard to miss," Tony said. Hard to carry too, for anyone who wasn't Thor and Loki. And maybe Steve. Tony had tried to pick up one side of Thor's trunk, no way was he offering to help carry Loki's, and failed miserably to so much as budge it. To add more insult to Tony's ego, Thor had hefted up his trunk and tucked it under his arm, carrying it with all the effort one would carry one of those yappy purse dogs. And then Loki had done the same.

"Exactly," Natasha said. "And they could have gone anywhere. But they came _here_."

"Where the Avengers just happened to be gathered all at the same time," Tony sighed, slumping back in his chair. He hated having to think so early in the morning.

"The question remains - why? Any new ideas?" Steve asked the room. He was met with blank looks. They had had lots of ideas over time. Sleep deprived, over-caffeinated, occasionally drunk ideas. Banishment. Alternate universe. Prison break. Failed coup. On the run from inter-galactic bounty hunters. But still no concrete information. "All right, look, I don't want Loki here anymore than anyone else. But Natasha and Bruce are right, they're here for a reason and I think it's in everyone's best interests to find out what it is. We can't afford to be running blind. We need to get a handle on this."

As much as Tony loved it when Steve got all overbearingly reasonable on them, he had to concede the point.

 

***  *  ***

 

They didn't get much of a chance to figure out what to do next about their Norse god mystery before shit started going down elsewhere.

Word came down that Dr. Doom was getting into it with Juggernaut overseas. They didn't know what kicked it off, but Tony was sure it was something stupid. In his book, this rated as the kind of thing that called for popcorn and pointing and laughing. Unfortunately, the supervillian slap fight quickly turned ugly and more destructive than normal. Doom and Juggernaut's stupid antics ended up attracting the attention of a few more of their evil friends and were soon threatening to spill over Latveria's borders into two other countries.

The call was put out to the Avengers to come please break it up and do it fast. Fury was quick to play his Thor card. When Thor realized this meant leaving Loki behind for an indeterminate amount of time there was genuine concern among them Thor was going have a nervous breakdown on the spot.

Tony had never seen anyone spontaneously combust lightning indoors before.

With some persuading, and an offer from Bruce to remain behind, Thor was finally coaxed into leaving the tower. Tony hadn't been able to enjoy the moment when Thor informed Loki who his new, temporary babysitter would be. Mostly because Steve gave him a dark look when Tony mentioned he wanted Jarvis to record the moment so Tony could loop it later with a to be determined later background track so they could all enjoy it on the big screen. Kill. Joy.

And also because Loki was in his closet when Thor spoke to him and Tony couldn't see his face.

When Thor took off, he did it without bothering to tell the rest of them he was leaving. Tony had no clue how Thor managed to beat him there when Jarvis said Thor had left via Mjolnir and the rooftop, but he suspected Thor must have cheated somewhere along the way and hopped a ride on the Bifrost express. By the time Tony caught up with him, Thor was already on the ground and busy frying every hostile in sight. By the time the rest of the team caught up, the fight was over. The bad guys had fled for their lives, every bot and weapon used was a smoking ruin, and Thor was already in the sky making a mad dash back to the tower to resume his Loki-sitting duties. Again beating Tony back.

It was a little bizarre. Okay, a lot.

Adding to it, Loki hadn't even done anything while his brother was away. If he was worried Loki would get into trouble while he was gone, that would at least have explained Thor's anxiety. But according to Jarvis and Bruce, Loki hadn't been the least bit phased by his brother's absence. In the time Thor was away Loki had left his closet to stretch out on one of the beds, read a few chapters in a book, taken a nap, then picked up where he'd left off in his book upon waking.

Bruce deemed it the most boring watch ever. Jarvis concurred.

Later, after everyone had returned, Steve and Tony decided it was time to take the bull by the horns, so to speak, and went to knock on Thor's door to ask him what was up. Turned out, Thor could be hilariously evasive when he put his mind to it.

"It's just that you seem really agitated, Thor. We're concerned about you. Is there anything you want to tell us? We'd like to help, if we can. Right, Tony?" Steve was giving the whole 'you can talk to me, I'm Captain America' thing his best go.

"Sure," Tony agreed.

"Thank you, friends. Your concern is appreciated."

There was a long awkward pause.

"Um, is there anything you want to tell us?" Steve tried again.

"I can think of nothing."

"Really? Really? Because I can think of a whole lot. In fact - "

"Tony. Thor, we do want to help you. And Loki. Can you just tell us what's going on?"

Thor laughed. It was the most fake sounding laugh ever. It caused Tony actual pain in its fakeness.

"There is nothing to tell. I am fine. Loki is fine. We are both well. Thank you for asking."

The whole thing was punctuated by Thor backing up into his suite of rooms, smiling at them. They caught sight of a bored-looking Loki inside just before Thor shut the door in their faces.

Steve's eyebrows made an concerted effort to blend themselves in to his hairline. "What the fuck was that?"

"Language," Tony said.

Watching Steve's eyebrows climb down out of his hair to slam into that pissy V over his nose? Worth it.

 

***  *  ***

 

Tony had been expecting Rhodey's call. Expecting not so much in the 'hey man, haven't heard from you in a while, how are things?' but more in the 'what have you done now?' sense.

They barely made it past they 'hey how are you's' when Rhodey took it downhill.

"So how's Pepper these days?"

"She's okay. She's working out of the London office right now."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing! Why do you assume I did something."

There was a lot of judgmental silence on the line.

"It wasn't me!"

"What's going on, Tony?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about how fast Pepper was transplanted across the Atlantic around the same time you started keeping house with all the other Avengers, including the one that's not even from this planet."

Tony was outraged. "Are you spying on me?"

"Don't be stupid. I'm a Colonel in the United States Air Force. I don't spy on people. I have underlings for that."

"You, you, what?" Tony sputtered.

"Stop whining. You've got a tower full of notable people out there and people are noticing. Is there something going on that I should know about?"

Tony considered his answer. "Nah. Just having a 'we saved the world one year ago today, hurray' reunion. Thing. Party. Thing."

Rhodey's answering sigh was kinda insulting in both length and volume. "Tony. I know Loki's there. What's going on?"

Tony denied it. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"It's a secure line, man. Even if it wasn't on my end, which it is, it would definitely be on yours. Right, Jarvis?"

"Indeed, sir."

"Hey, whose side are you on?"

"Yours," Rhodey and Jarvis answered in unison.

"You planned that," Tony accused.

"Tony, listen to me," Rhodey's voice went serious. "You don't want to tell me why there's an internationally wanted war criminal hiding out in your tower, that's fine. You're an idiot, by the way, but fine."

"I love you, too."

"But if I noticed something's up, others are going to notice too. It's just a matter of time. You gotta know that."

He wasn't wrong. Two days later Rhodey sent him a text - _shove the god under a bed, time's up!!!_

Less than ten minutes later they received a call from Fury telling them a sizable military unit had been dispatched to Stark Tower. They had an executive order, they knew Loki was there, and they were coming for him. There was nothing Fury could do to intervene.

Great.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is my take on the whole 'Loki lives with the Avengers, chaos ensues' thing. Here's me showing up to this trope years late with Starbucks. :D Started this story over two years ago, abandoned it, and came back to it a couple months ago. If you enjoy it, please let me know.


	2. Chapter 2

Clearing the tower of civilians took priority.

It wasn't an alien invasion this time around, but no one wanted to see innocent people get caught up in whatever happened when the military rolled up to the front door. At least it was a Sunday so the tower wasn't at full capacity. There were the usual office workers who used part of the weekend to get caught up or were workaholics with no life, along with the weekend cleaning crews. Tony issued an emergency evacuation and requested everyone gather their belongings and vacate the premises. This worked on most people. Tony waited twenty minutes and issued the call again, this time directly addresses the few workaholics who stubbornly remained to get in a little extra work.

"You're leaving. Now. Otherwise I will override your systems, shut down your computers, gas you, and have you carried bodily out the door. And don't think I won't take hilarious photos to add to your LinkedIn profile. Five minutes, starting now."

They left quickly.

Even as Tony and Jarvis were overseeing the evacuation the other Avengers milled around him. They had a video conference open between them and Rhodey.

"I only heard this was happening after the executive order came down. I don't know how long it was in the works, but given the subject it probably came down fast. And who knows how long you've been under observation," Rhodey was saying.

"And we still are," Clint said, who'd been steadily pacing around the room, as well as the surrounding rooms, every few minutes and checking windows with every pass.

Steve's arms were folded across his chest. "We've been so busy watching inside the tower, we neglected to keep tabs on what was going on outside. Our fault. What are we going to do?"

"Nothing," Clint said. "We stand down and let them have him."

Tony's fingers flew over over his consoles, checking surveillance footage outside, securing entryways, repeatedly confirming the tower was empty of civilians, and monitoring every system he could hack into for information. "Brilliant. You want to go tell Thor?"

Clint snapped around to glare at him. "You want to throw down with the military, our own people, over Loki?"

Tony returned the glare. "Yes, because that's _exactly_ what I said."

"Colonel Rhodes, can you tell us anything else about what we can expect?" Natasha asked.

"It'll be primarily Special Forces with additional ground support. They're already en route. Air support's been authorized. They're clearing the air space all around you of civilian craft as we speak."

"Yeah, I see that," Tony sighed. Evidence that something was amiss becoming more apparent with every new detail rolling across one of his screens. Even without the head's up from Rhodey and Fury, Jarvis would've detected something was up on his own by now. Air controllers were busy. Security was being heightened across multiple local, state, and federal agencies. Law enforcement was pouring in all around his tower, establishing what looked like a six block security check perimeter in all directions. So far they were trying for discrete, everyone bracing themselves for something without any concrete details.

 _Probably worried about a terrorist attack_ , Tony thought reading through one security alert after another. _Any minute now they'll announce 'unspecified threats made' and start evacuating public spaces and asking people to stay inside._

If only it was that straightforward.  

"Who's leading the charge?" Steve asked Rhodey.

"A Colonel Marks. I don't know him."

Bruce made a soft sound from where he was folded into himself near the door, staring at his feet.

Tony stopped what he was doing and looked over at him. "You know him?"

Bruce made another sound like a choked off laugh. "I, uh, know of him."

"And?" Steve prodded.

"He was one of General Ross' guys. Let's just say he was more enthusiastic than most about containing the, uh, other guy." Bruce shot them a tight look, matching the press of his lips. "I got the impression he thought Ross was too soft."

Tony gave Bruce a long look before returning to his screens. "Anything else, Rhodey? Anything we can use?"    

"How's the order read?" Natasha added. The second Rhodey mentioned the name of the guy leading the charge she had her phone out and was rapidly texting...someone.

"That I don't know. Sorry."

"It's okay, buddy. Thanks for the head's up."

Rhodey sighed, heavy and loud. "Whatever you're going to do, be smart about it. This isn't a bunch of brass suits you can embarrass in front of the cameras, Tony. This is an operation sanctioned by the President to capture the alien who tried to invade our planet. They're not in the wrong."

Tony stopped working again and tilted his head at the screen so he could see his friend's face. "So, what? Don't get in their way?"

"We shouldn't," Clint tossed out from across the room where he was doing another window sweep.

"Didn't ask you," Tony shot back without looking. To Rhodey he continued speaking. "You telling me I should stand back and let them invade my tower? Really?"

"Hell no," Rhodey scoffed. "I know better. May as well wave a red flag at a bull. I'm just saying - whatever you do, don't get your dumb ass killed. Or tossed in prison. I don't want to have to explain either one to Pepper."

"Can't blame you there," Tony said easily. "We'll be okay."

"You better be. Good luck."

The conference ended just as confirmation buried amidst all the security bulletins flooded the screens under Tony's hands of a top-secret military operation underway in Manhattan. Exact location unknown.

Except to the Avengers. That was their advantage.

 _And there's the order to start clearing people off the streets._ At least that gave Tony an idea of which path to expect the Army to come marching down.

"Okay," Tony breathed. "For real, who wants to go tell Thor what's happening?" No takers. Shocking. Tony pulled up a live feed to see if his godly houseguests had any inkling yet as to what was about to go down. Thor was watching TV. Loki was back to looking out windows.

"Any idea how many are out there, Barton?" Steve was asking.

Clint finished his sweep in one more quick lap around the room. "On this side of the building alone I've made at least a dozen. Probably more further out I can't see. They're pretty well spread out. Think it's safe to say we're being watched from all corners."

In a blinding flash of clarity, Tony realized what Loki had been seeing through the windows the whole damn time. "Son of a bitch."

Steve turned to him. "What?"

Tony blew out a breath, loud and noisy. "Just hate it when I'm an idiot. Should have seen this coming."

"It's not your fault, Tony," Bruce said quietly. "We probably all should have seen this coming."

Clint and Natasha exchanged glances. It didn't go unnoticed.

"Oh, come on! Really?" Tony was tempted to throw something at both of them.

"We did not know before Fury called," Natasha was firm. "He's been keeping a tight lid on this at SHIELD ever since Loki showed up. But he knew what was likely to happen if anyone else got wind Loki was here." Her phone chirruped announcing a new text. She read it quickly and tapped out an equally fast response.

"I don't suppose he's offering any advice?" Steve asked, indicating her phone with his chin.

She shrugged, non-committal. "Not when I talked to him earlier. Just that he was sorry he couldn't get in front of this, he was blindsided same as we were. He's been keeping tabs on the tower the whole time, but somehow they missed the other watchers." She pulled a face. "He really, really wants to know how that happened."

"Seriously, is there anyone who hasn't been spying on us?" Tony squawked.

"Maybe not all Fury's people were on board with his keeping Loki under wraps," Steve said, arms folded across his chest.

Natasha ignored Tony. "Maybe," she said to Steve. "Bottom line, SHIELD can't get involved in this. Not after the heat Fury took last year for letting Loki go and letting the Tesseract go with him. He has to deny he knew anything about Loki's return. He said this would be our call to make. He did point out it wouldn't look very good if it came out the Avengers were harbouring Loki. It'll look even worse if we're seen as protecting him."

"So, what? Let's toss him out on his ass? Stuff him in a box, shove it out the door with a really long stick and let this Marks guy pick him up? Bruce, you remember anything else about him?" Tony asked.

Bruce pulled himself away from the wall he'd been holding up and shuffled closer to Tony. "Rumours. Nothing for sure. I heard talk he was pretty big on experimenting on prisoners. Suspected terrorists. Mutants." Bruce huffed an unamused laugh. "But then again, he's not really alone in that kind of thinking. To people like him, the ends justify the means to anyone they deem a threat."

"Great. That's just great," Tony muttered.

Clint had stopped his pacing, coming to rest close to Natasha. He was reading her phone over her shoulder. When Natasha put her phone away, they had one of their weirdly disconcerting conversations where only their eyebrows moved.

"Um, yes, hello? We're all still here?" Tony waved at them. "Who were you texting anyway, if it wasn't Nick?"

"Just someone who pretty much confirmed everything Bruce heard about Colonel Marks to be true. Looks like there's plans to transport Loki into international waters ASAP."

"Nice. Top secret floating prison where anything goes and no one's accountable," Tony said, voice sharp. "I thought the Raft was somewhere in the waters off Rikers?" He concentrated keeping his hands steady and controlled as he moved them over panel after panel of scrolling information.

"It is," Natasha said. "They're not taking Loki there. They have something else in mind for him."

Tony eyed her. "Like what?"

"Ultra top-secret military toy. Super high-tech and experimental. Something that supposedly makes the Raft look like a playpen."

Tony's eyes narrowed. "High-tech as in 'we developed this nifty thing ourselves' or high-tech as in 'we found something we can't identify just laying around and thought hey let's use it to build stuff because nothing like that has ever gone horribly wrong before'?"

She shrugged. "I don't know much about it. SHIELD's been keen to find out more ever since they started hearing about it a few months ago, but so far no one's sharing. Also," she added, quirking an eyebrow at Tony, "smart money's on the latter."

"Naturally. Jarvis, add that to the list of stuff we need to find out more about very, very soon."

"Already added, sir."

Steve sighed deeply. "We need to decide what we're going to do."

"Still all for tossing Loki out on the street to be scooped up and disappeared at sea, cut into little pieces and dissected?" Tony asked Clint.

Clint glared at him. "Yes, because _that's_ exactly what I said," he lobbed back with an impressive degree of sarcasm.

"We could tell Thor and let him decide," Natasha suggested mildly. "He might want to just take Loki and leave. Might be in their best interest to avoid a confrontation altogether."

"And if he doesn't?" Steve asked. "Thor's an Avenger. He may not be from Earth, but he's one of us. He's fought with us, he's defended innocent people. He never came out and asked for our protection, but he brought Loki here. To us. When we agreed to take Loki in it meant something."

"Who's this _we_ ," Tony muttered.

Steve ignored him. "Now, I still don't know why either of them are here. But they are. Thor deserves the benefit of the doubt that whatever the reason, it's a good one."

"I'm pretty sure we've been giving Thor the benefit of the doubt all along, Cap," Clint said with a weak smile. "I don't give up this much sleep for just anyone, you know."

"Maybe it's Thor's turn to return the favour," Natasha said gently. "If he wants our help, he needs to trust us."

Steve nodded his agreement. "You're right."

Bruce was tapping away at some of the monitors. He pointed out something to Tony. Tony scrolled through a few more screens of his own before clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention. "Okay, so that's settled in that nothing's settled. And it looks like we're about to be invaded by the Army in less than an hour. So let's talk to Thor and get ready to debut this show we haven't even written yet much less rehearsed."

"Places everyone," Bruce deadpanned.

 

***  *  ***

 

Thor did volume well.

Most of the time he wasn't louder than anyone else, but he did have one of those deep, rumbling voices that reverberated through walls. As well as floors, ceilings, windows, everything really. When Thor talked, people couldn't help but listen. When he was shouting, then it was tempting to sneak a peek to see if the weather changing.

The sky over Stark Tower was filling up with ominous dark clouds.

"Have your people no honour?" Thor roared.

"Thor, please calm down. This isn't helping anyone," Steve's hands were raised, placating.

Thor wasn't having it. "Calm? You tell me your armies are coming to snatch my brother away and you expect me to be calm?" Thor's face was a mix of anger and incredulousness, with just a dash of betrayal.

Steve winced. "That's not quite what we said."

Tony heard a faint rumble of thunder. Or maybe it was just Thor growling.

"Our government has ordered Loki be taken into custody," Tony explained. Again.

"But Fury promised me..."

"Director Fury and SHIELD are not involved in this," Steve said. "They're separate from our government and our military. A different entity. Look, I'm not sure how much you know about our country's system of government?"

"I understand it well enough."

"Okay. Then you understand it was our leader, our president, who has issued an order for Loki to be taken into custody?"

Another rumble. "This is the one who commands your armies?"

"Uh, yeah. I mean, he doesn't actually lead them himself. He's the president. He has generals for that."

Thor's eyes narrowed. "I know not what kind of leader fails in his duty to lead his own armies."

Steve shot Tony a _please help out anytime_ look.

"A busy one," Tony offered. "The president is a busy guy. It's a lot of work running a country. Especially one as full of unmanageable people as this one. He has a lot of people to help him. And we're generally not keen on the whole put-the-guy-in-charge-on-the-front-line idea. If something were to happen to him, then the VP has to take over running the place and no one is ever happy when that happens."

Thor kept glowering.

"Cultural differences," Steve threw out. "We do things differently here."

"Indeed." Thor breathed deeply through his nose. Big noisy inhale, bigger noisier exhale. "I still do not understand why he has ordered Loki to be taken."

"Um, well there was that whole invade and try to conquer our planet deal last year," Tony pointed out helpfully.

"But I brought Loki here, to the Avengers," Thor protested, voice rising once again. "Your world's greatest heroes. You are exalted by your people for your defence of your world. Why does your leader strike at you this way? Have you opposed him recently?"

Tony and Steve exchanged a look. They were getting in over their heads and losing time to boot. Tony glanced out the nearest window. Still unchanged from the dark clouds. No lightning. Nothing was on fire. So the conversation was still going better than expected.

"Thor, I'm sorry," Steve said. "I realize you thought Loki would be safe here, but we should have explained that it was only as long as no one knew he was here. We, and Director Fury, all agreed not to tell anyone, but anyone else watching..."

"Spies," Thor looked resigned, shoulders slumping. "We have been observed by spies that serve your leader."

Tony shrugged. "More or less. Did Loki happen to mention anything?" he added, curious.

Thor was confused. "Why would he?"

"No reason."

"That still does not explain why your own leader would attack you?" Thor asked, his frustration palpable. Tony guessed when you came from a place that had had the same leader for thousands of years, and you called him _Dad,_ that trying to grasp the convoluted workings of the American government could be a trial. Hell, there were millions of people who actually lived here that couldn't for the life of them understand it either. But then again, most of them didn't care to anyway.

Steve looked like he wanted to be anywhere else explaining anything else to anyone else. "Thor, they're not really attacking us. They have an order from the president. I don't think they expect us to stand in their way."

And that? Was definitely thunder.

 

***  *  ***

 

They suited up for lack of anything better to do while they waited down the T-minus-what-the-hell-are-we-doing? Expect for Bruce. He stayed in the same button-down shirt and chinos he started out the day wearing. And Tony was keeping the helmet off for the time being. They gathered in one of the more spacious living rooms on Tony's floor. Jarvis tinted the outer windows so no one could see in. The immediate area around the tower had become eerily empty and quiet. News reports were parroting the _credible threat_ and _cautionary measures_ lines. There were helicopters overhead doing casual sweeps of the area. Thor was pacing the room like an enraged bull, hammer gripped tight in his hand. They still had less than no plan. And it was raining out. Hard.

"Hey, Thor, buddy, maybe you could tamp down on the waterworks, huh?" Tony asked. "I mean we're trying to play it cool here and the torrential rainpour that wasn't in the forecast may be giving away too much."

Thor stopped pacing and looked like he was practising his deep breathing. Twenty seconds ticked by and the rain tapered off to a drizzle and then stopped.

"Cool. Thanks. Guess Asgard never needs to worry about droughts, huh?"

Thor shot him a dark, deeply unimpressed look.

 _Okaaay._ "We're down to the wire, kids," Tony addressed the room at large. "Anyone come up with a brilliant plan to make this all go away?"

Natasha approached where Thor was standing stock still and staring moodily outside. "It might not be too late for you and Loki to leave." She smiled kindly when Thor swung around to look at her. "It's always good to keep your options open."

Thor's answering smile was sad. "It is. I regret my options are limited. There is nowhere else for us to go. I told my father Loki would be safe here. I gave him my word. Even if I took Loki somewhere else on Midgard, we would still be hunted, would we not?"

"Probably," Natasha was blunt in her honesty. "You said when you first got here that Odin wanted Loki here?"

"Yes. But it was decided after I insisted bringing him here would be better," Thor explained.

"Can you elaborate on that?" Natasha asked. When Thor hesitated, she pressed him again. "Thor, Loki's here now. You want him to stay, right?"

Thor nodded. "I do, yes."

"Then can you tell us why here? Wasn't it safe on Asgard?"

Thor turned his head to stare out the window. He was quiet for so long, it looked like he wouldn't answer her. "When I brought Loki home after his invasion of your world, my father was furious with him for both his actions and for being so unrepentant," he said finally, turning back to face them all with a rueful smile. "You may be surprised to know Loki did not often come into conflict with our father before. That was me. My father and I often quarrelled over some action one of us took the other disagreed with. Usually they were my actions Father disapproved of. Loki, on the other hand, rarely defied him."

"Wait, wait, wait," Tony made a time-out gesture. "Are you seriously telling us Loki used to be the _good son_?"

Thor looked sheepish. "I don't know if that is true so much as Loki was..." Thor trailed off, searching for the right words. "Quieter, I suppose. More restrained. At least I thought so. Loki would argue he was overlooked, ignored in favour of me. Perhaps there is some truth to that. I find myself questioning many things I thought I once knew. "

"So when Loki went home after the invasion and talked to your father?" Natasha asked.

"I was not present, but from what I saw of my father after, I think he was honestly shocked by Loki's defiance of him. In his own court, no less. Few are so bold. Or careless. My father's anger can be great and it was certainly on display in the days following Loki's return."

Thor looked around the room, then began to pace again. Slower this time, a few steps away from the window and stop. A few steps forward and stop. He seemed to be gathering his thoughts. "Not long ago, we received information shedding further light on Loki's actions. It was...startling, to put it mildly. It infuriated my father even more. And then we were attacked shortly thereafter."

"Wait - what?" Steve's eyebrows were headed for his hairline again. "Asgard was attacked?"

"Yes," Thor appeared unconcerned about it. "The attack seemed to have but one purpose and it failed, but my father became concerned there would be further attacks. In additional to strengthening our defences, he wanted to keep Loki more secured. There is one such place in Asgard so deeply hidden and protected by magic he thought to put him. Loki would have been safe there. My mother feared, given the new circumstances, to consign him to such a prison only ever used to contain those too powerful to kill would drive Loki to despair and widen the gulf that exists between him and our father. So I went to my father and asked him to allow me to bring Loki to Midgard. I told him I could ensure Loki's safety. I gave my father _my word_."

"What new circumstances?" Clint's voice was laced with suspicion. "What did you find out?"

Thor didn't answer him, but Natasha was clearly turning the pieces of the puzzle over in her head, and she wasn't alone.

"Someone else is looking for him, right?" Clint voiced it aloud first. "And you figured who would in their right mind would think to look for him on the planet he attacked."

"Inter-galactic bounty hunters," Tony crowed. "Called it!"

"You only thought of it when we were watching the movie and you knocked back about half a bottle of scotch," Bruce pointed out from his spot on the couch. He was the only one in the room sitting out the wait in comfort. "And come to think of it, you said it right after Han got frozen in carbonite and handed over to Boba Fett."

"Eh, details," Tony said. "So, Thor, who's after baby bro? Lovecraftian horror from the depths of space? Or how about elves? Is it elves? Dwarves? Some other Tolkienesque creatures that are actually real where you come from? Bruce, help me out." 

Bruce looked pained. "This really isn't funny, Tony." 

"Oh, I beg to differ." Tony gave it some more thought. "How about hobbits? Please don't say it's hobbits. I'll be so disillusioned."

"It is not hobbits."

Everyone started when Loki appeared in the room. Literally appeared.

"Jarvis!" Tony yelped.

"Apologies, sir. Loki was under my observation in his own quarters until he appeared in the room with you. There was no time for warning."

Thor sidled closer to his brother, stopping only when Loki noticed and turned on him with a glare. "You should not be wasting your magic on frivolous things," Thor chided him. "It'll only slow your recovery."

"Oh, do forgive me," Loki said, voice chilly enough to freeze water. "I forgot you are such an expert on when best appropriate to deploy my _tricks_."

"Loki," Thor rumbled. "Brother, I am only trying to help."

"Spare me any more of your _help_."

"Chitauri chasing you down?" And talk about moving faster than the eye could see, Clint went from leaning on a railing, hands empty, to bolt upright with bow drawn and arrow nocked. Aimed straight at Loki's head.

"Don't be ridiculous," Loki sniffed, as if he didn't have a pointy weapon aimed at his face.

"Then who?" Steve demanded. "No more games. Tell us who's after you."

"Sir."

Tony moved a little closer to the halfway point between Loki and Barton. Not to stop Barton from firing, but hopefully to keep Loki from killing him in response. "Not now, Jarvis. Daddy's busy."

"Sir, there's a Colonel Marks on the line. He insists on speaking to you."

"Tell him we don't want any."

"The colonel says it a matter of national security," Jarvis insisted.

Tony sighed. "How far away are they now?"

"They are staging four blocks away, sir."

"Looks like it's show time," Tony announced to the room as he reached for his helmet. "Break a leg, everybody. Or, you know, don't."

"Loki. Thor. Who's after you?" Steve pushed on. "Tell us what's going on, maybe we can work something out."

Loki laughed. "There's nothing to _work out_ as you say, Captain Rogers."

"You realize these people are here for you and they're not going to leave without you. You understand that, right? None of this is funny." Steve's voice rose with his annoyance in the face of Loki's expression of bored indifference.

"Oh, I understand more than you know, Captain," Loki assured him. "I understand the most important thing of all."

"Mr. Stark, Colonel Marks is calling again."

"Okay, okay, just put him on hold for a second."

"Oh yeah," Steve stepped up to face Loki. "And what's that."

Loki's smile was tight and humourless. "No one defies the will of the Allfather."

Thor's wince? Not reassuring at all.

Steve exchanged looks with Natasha. She shrugged. Steve turned back to Loki. "What does that mean?"

"Good Heimdall," Loki said pleasantly. "If you would be so kind as to do your duty."

"What are you doing?" Steve demanded to know. "Thor, what is he doing?"

Thor looked apologetic. "I am sorry, my friends. I truly meant for none of this to happen."

"What?" Steve almost yelled. "What's going to happen?"

"Sir! I fear my protocols are being overwritten!"

"What? That is not - " Tony checked Jarvis' communication protocols and sure enough...

"Mr. Stark. Avengers. Good afternoon. This is Colonel Andrew Marks, United States Army," a deep, crisp voice echoed through the wall speaker.

"Not cool," Tony grumbled.

"I'm here to discuss your immediate surrender of the war criminal known as Loki," the voice continued. "I have an executive order authorizing me to take him into custody. By whatever means necessary."

"Guess that's our cue," Bruce stood up slowly, smiling weakly around the room. No one smiled back.

 


	3. Chapter 3

"I said you can't come in. It's my tower and I don't have to invite in anyone I don't want to. It's a rule. How much clearer can I put it?"

"You invited in a supervillian who tried to conquer our planet," Marks shot back, unimpressed. "You'll pardon me if I doubt your standards are all that high."

"Let's get one thing straight, I did not invite Loki in. Okay? I invited his brother. Who happens to be a friend. Loki came with him. I decided - "

"We decided," Steve spoke for the first time since they'd introduced themselves.

"We decided," Tony amended, "if Loki was going to be hanging around back on Earth, then it was best he be where we could keep an eye on him at all times. No need to thank us."

"So instead of immediately capturing and securing the war criminal, you offered him a luxury suite in the same location where he launched an alien invasion. And you did this because his brother is your pal?" Mark's voice dripped with contempt.

"Have you ever actually met Thor?"

"How is that relevant?" Marks spoke like he was trying not to clench his teeth too hard.

"See, you wouldn't ask that question if you'd ever met him." Tony was certain that his degree in smart-ass could top Marks' in contempt any day of the week. He ignored the soft sigh emanating from beside him.

It was dislike at first sight the moment Marks rolled up to a side entrance of Stark Tower to meet with Steve and Tony. The meeting was agreed upon after Tony - with prodding from Steve and Natasha - suggested they were open to discussing the situation with him. It was a brief exchange with lots of buzzword phrases like "having a conversation," and "exploring all their options," and "arriving at a satisfactory outcome." Tony changed his mind about any discussion about compromise when the first words out of Marks' mouth after Cap introduced them were "hand over the alien." Not even so much as a "hello," or a "nice to meet you," or a "wow, you're Captain America, can I have your autograph?" Marks was a straight-backed, perfectly pressed, arrogant buzz cut of man, still damp from Thor's earlier emotional outburst, and he couldn't even be bothered to say "hi" before making demands. He had _just following orders_ stamped all over him and Tony refused to let him pass over his threshold on principle.

Marks shot a nasty look down his nose at Tony. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stark, was there some part of executive order you didn't understand? I thought you were supposed to be some kind of genius? Perhaps I was misinformed."

Tony bristled. "I'm sorry, was there some part of kiss my - "

"Colonel Marks," Steve intervened, determined to be reasonable one. "We understand you have orders. However, we have information you, and the president, have not been made aware of. Information that makes the Avengers the better option for keeping custody of Loki than the US military."

Steve was bluffing his all-American heart out. They had nothing. Some unspecified threat against Loki, and possibly Asgard, that sent Thor scurrying to ground on planet Earth while dragging his would-be conqueror brother along for the ride. Then came Loki's cryptic message to the all seeing gatekeeper guy, Hamlet, or whoever. Before Steve and Tony had to leave the tower to try and cut Marks off at the pass, neither brother was offering up additional helpful explanations. Thor kept apologizing for whatever was going to happen without offering details while Loki mocked him.

They had unknowingly stepped in something they couldn't identify. Tony couldn't shake the sense Loki had managed to neatly lead them blindfolded down a booby-trapped path. Fucker.

Marks dragged his eyes away from his attempt to stare a hole through Tony's skull to cast a contemptuous look over Steve. "What I understand, _Captain_ , is you and your little superhero vigilante group have been sheltering a war criminal from justice."

Steve's back went rigid. "That is not what we're doing."

"No?" Marks sneered, stepping forward to get in Steve's face. "Looks like it from where I'm standing. I wonder what the American people would say if they knew Captain America, the living legend himself, was harbouring the creature responsible for the attack on this city last year? I wonder how many museum exhibits will remain dedicated to America's great hero after it's learned he's protected the thing that cut down defenceless people - civilians - in the streets just because he could." Marks turned his glare back onto Tony. "And then when it came waltzing back into town, America's favorite media darling, the one and only Tony Stark, installed the mass murderer in a penthouse suite high up overlooking the very streets where actual people died."

Marks dropped back a step, looking between them. "And what's your excuse for not killing Loki on sight? Because his big brother is your pal? Well," Marks' smile was bitter, his voice dripping with scorn, "I guess that makes it all okay."

Tony caught movement beside him and rested his hand on Steve's arm briefly, just enough to stop him from taking another step forward. As satisfying as it would be to watch Colonel Asshole get bitchslapped up and down the street by Captain America, it wouldn't go toward solving their more immediate problem. The one they left upstairs twenty minutes ago in the company of his enormous, hammer wielding brother, a murderous archer, and an increasing nervous scientist/part-time rage monster. Natasha had followed them down to the ground floor, but opted to observe out of sight in the foyer behind them while Tony and Steve engaged with Marks.

If Marks noticed Steve's desire to smack the everloving shit out of him, he gave no sign of it. Instead, he made a show of checking his watch before opening his mouth. "Now, gentlemen," Marks tilted up his head and raised his voice to carry past Steve and Tony, "and lady."

 _He's guessing_ , Tony thought. No one sees Natasha if she doesn't want to be seen.

"As revealing as this little encounter has been," Marks continued, "let me be perfectly clear - I am leaving with the alien. The only question here is this - are you going to hand him over, or am I going to have to go in and get him?" Marks quickly raised his hand, palm forward. "And please, before you embarrass yourselves with the 'you and what army?' response, can I just remind you I actually do have an army. Here to enforce to orders of the president. The US Army in fact. You do remember it, don't you, Captain Rogers?"

Tony could practically hear Steve's teeth grinding. "I think you might be forgetting one teeny, tiny little factoid in your little storm the tower scenario," Tony pointed out.

"Oh?" Marks sighed, like Tony was boring him. "What's that?"

"Loki's brother," Tony said. "Thor. God of thunder. Possessor of a magic hammer with a name I can't pronounce. The guy who brought Loki here for reasons. Who, believe me, is not just going to stand aside and watch while you attack his brother."

"Not to mention Loki himself," Steve added. "He packs a punch all on his own. You're wrong if you think he'll be easy to capture." His voice was perfectly calm and level as he spoke. Tony figured Steve was about as pissed off as he could get.

Marks answering smile was disconcertingly pleasant. "I don't think we'll have any problems dealing with Loki. Or Thor, if he chooses to stand in our way."

Tony exchanged a quick glance with Steve. Good to know he wasn't alone in the ominous sense of foreboding.

Tony was debating the fallout if he accidentally on purpose discharged a blast sending Marks tumbling ass over teakettle when everything changed. Marks smug countenance dropped away to one of shock. His already washboard straight posture stiffened even more as his eyes widened, one hand flying over his earpiece as he listened intently to whatever was being said.

Though he hadn't seen or heard her since she opted to blend in with the scenery, Tony suddenly heard Natasha murmuring in the background. She didn't sound happy.

Marks backed up a couple steps. "What? What?!" He listened some more, his expression swinging from shock to incredulous to horror. He stared at them, mouth agape.

"Sir," Jarvis chimed in through Tony's own comm. "Colonel Rhodes is on the line. I informed him you were occupied, but he insists you take his call immediately. He sounds quite agitated."

"Guys," Natasha was at their backs, giving away her position. "We need to get back upstairs. Now."

Steve looked over his shoulder at her while Tony kept his attention on Marks' growing agitation. Whatever Steve saw on her face was enough to melt his anger into concern. He nodded at Tony and they began a careful backstep into the tower. They could hear vehicles in the distance gunning their engines on approach.

Before they made it all the way back into the tower Marks started shouting. "Have you lost your minds?" he bellowed, hands clenching into fists, eyes bugging out of his head. "What have you done? Where is he? _Where is the president_?!"

 

***   *   ***

 

Tony blasted through the open doorway to his living room with Steve and Natasha hot on his heels. He'd spent the rapid elevator ride up to his floor listening to Rhodey rant.

"...cannot just scoop up and disappear the President of the United States!"

"I told you I don't know anything about it!" Tony yelled back defensively.

Loki was seated almost dead centre in the room. He was lounging in Tony's favourite arm chair watching CNN with one leg slung over the arm and Thor standing protectively at his side. Tony spied Fury's face on one of the video screens talking with Barton. Barton had angled himself so he could talk to Fury and keep an eye on Loki at the same time. Natasha veered off immediately to join their discussion. Bruce shot Tony a worried look from the corner where he sat - still fully clothed and not green, always a good thing - gripping his laptop. Tony ignored them all as he charged across the room.

"You!" Tony pointed an accusing finger at Loki. "What did you do?"

Loki rolled his eyes away from the television screen and gave Tony a smarmy smile. "Why do you assume this is my doing?"

The CNN announcer was trying to maintain a calm appearance even as the three people he was interviewing live all looked on the verge of violence or a breakdown. Actually, now that Tony looked closer, the announcer really didn't look any better.

"...just joining us, the world leaders at the G8 summit at the Lough Erne Resort in Northern Ireland, including President Ellis, have disappeared. They had just gathered on the resort grounds, preparing for a meet and greet news conference on the eve of the summit, when they were engulfed in what witnesses describe as a 'blinding rainbow light' and vanished from view. There is a massive search underway for the leaders. With me now to discuss the ramifications of the..."

"Thor," Steve planted himself directly in front of Thor, ignoring Loki entirely. "Where is President Ellis?"

"And the rest of the G8 leaders!" Fury yelled in the background.

"What he said," Rhodey chimed in, hearing Fury's voice through the open face shield of Tony's helmet. Tony rerouted Rhodey through an open channel in the room so he could be part of the discussion and Tony could remove his helmet.

"I apologize," Thor said. "As I said earlier, I did not mean for this to happen."

"Then perhaps you should have taken more care to prevent it," Loki said snidely without looking up at Thor.

Thor shot a glare down at the top of Loki's head. Loki ignored him.

"This? _This?_ " Tony was incredulous. "As in, just for example, the entirety of the G8 being abducted in front of the world's press?"

"Where is he, Thor? Tell me," Steve pressed in, almost getting in Thor's face.

There was a brief lull in the room as CNN replayed the footage of the G8 leaders lining up on a manicured lawn, preparing for the start of the press conference. A quick headcount with CNN on-screen identifiers showed the eight world leaders along with two representatives of the European Union. They watched in grim silence as a blast of multicoloured light burst down from the sky and engulfed them all before anyone could react. Just as suddenly as the light appeared, it vanished and the leaders along with it. There were screams and panicked shouting in many languages off-camera and armed security forces rushing into view from every angle. The footage ended with a close-up of the pattern left burned into the ground where the leaders had stood. A distinctly Asgardian pattern.

"Thor!" Fury hollered. "Do you understand every government on the planet is preparing for war right now? Call up Asgard and tell them to release their hostages right now!"

"I'm sure something can be worked out with regards to Loki as soon as President Ellis is returned. Unharmed," Rhodey offered.

Thor looked deeply offended. "Asgard has not taken your leaders hostage."

Tony kept his eyes on the unwanted house guest who was taking in the drama surrounding him with a gleeful eye. "You did this. How did you manage it?"

Loki smiled up at Tony, baring his teeth. "Did my dear brother not mention he is the reason Odin sent me here? The Allfather had something else in mind for me before Thor convinced him, in his infinite wisdom, to allow us to return to Midgard instead. Thor did swear on his own honour my safety was assured as there were none on your world who could pose any real threat to me. His words." Loki flashed an unreadable look at Thor, who look back with a mix of guilt and anger.

Tony turned away in disgust and headed for his computer screens. With a sinking feeling in his gut, he quickly discovered Fury wasn't exaggerating. Every nation on the planet with a stable government was readying itself for war. Every channel was carrying live coverage of the crisis. Each replaying the video of President Ellis and the rest of the G8 being abducted. By aliens. To a place right out of Earth's own myths that they had no way to access. Except through the two alien princes hanging out in Tony's living room.

"Tony, is there a way for us to use the bridge thing to get into Asgard?" Rhodey wanted to know.

"Not that I know of. Thor?"

Thor looked at him like he'd been asked if he knew of a way to pull the sun out of the sky using a chariot pulled by goats. But for all Tony knew, he did. "Heimdall will not permit you entry," Thor told him bluntly. "You've not the means to travel there otherwise," he paused. "And you likely would not be welcome there even if you did."

Loki smirked at him. Tony resisted the urge to charge back across the room and throttle him. It wouldn't go over well. Not with Loki or the protective shadow hovering over him, hammer in hand.

Fury leaned in close to his monitor. His face tight with anger and tension, he addressed Thor directly. "President Ellis must be returned to Earth. Immediately. The other world leaders with him. Otherwise this will be considered an act of war on the part of Asgard by every nation on this planet. Thor, do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

Thor nodded once, anger reflected in his own features. "I do understand. And understand me when I say this attempt by your leader to attack my brother may be considered an act of war in itself."

Fury's eyebrows went high. "Excuse me?"

"I am here by the order of the Allfather," Loki answered for Thor. "My well-being assured by none other than Asgard's future king. To stand in opposition to one is ill-advised. To both? One may consider that, hmm, shall we say suicidal? Wouldn't you agree?" Loki tilted his head back to aim his question at Thor, his expression as angelic as a rampaging, would-be conquering, crazier-than-a-shithouse-rat god could get.

Fury's eye narrowed. "Earth does not recognize orders from Asgard's king. Odin has no authority here."

Loki turned his attention back to Fury. "Oh? Do tell him so," Loki grinned wildly. "Please."

"Thor," Fury's tone turned threatening. "You really want to be responsible for war between our worlds?"

"I'm afraid you will find declarations of war against Asgard to be not much worry to its king or its people," Thor's voice was steady. "We are very good at war."

"So are we," Fury promised him. "Avengers, you know what you have to do. Get Ellis and the other leaders back. Do it fast. In the meantime, I'll try to keep the planet from nuking itself in a panic." Fury cut the connection before anyone could respond.

There was a moment of silence before Rhodey spoke up. "Excuse me, I think I may have been hallucinating just now. Did I hear correctly? Thor, are you suggesting this is somehow _our_ fault?"

Thor pressed his lips in a tight line before responding. "Your leader committed the first act of aggression by sending your armies against us."

"Yeah, in response to your brother's invasion of our planet!" Clint yelled.

"After his defeat and capture, you agreed to release him back to Asgard," Thor shot back. "The matter was considered settled."

"Says who?" Clint asked.

"Why, Odin, of course," Loki sounded bored. He was back to watching the news, not looking at the rest of them. "Haven't you been paying attention? The Allfather does not like his wisdom to be challenged. By anyone."

"Loki," Thor chided him quietly. "Father's just trying to protect you."

"Oh?" Loki rolled his eyes lazily away from the screen to look back up at Thor. "Is that what he's doing? How foolish of me not to be grateful for his constant desire to protect me."

The bitterness that crept out with the last few spoken words took Thor by surprise. "If you have a complaint to make, then speak it plainly," Thor challenged him.

Loki remained stubbornly silent as he turned back to the news. They were showing footage of the abduction of the G8 from the summit again against the background of the guest speakers arguing ferociously over what this meant.

Thor wasn't the only one confused. The Avengers were exchanging looks between them from every corner of the room. Tony turned to Bruce. "Have the feeling we're missing something?"

"Other than the hugely obvious daddy issues?" Bruce didn't look up from his laptop. From what Tony could see, he seemed to be monitoring social media platforms along with the major news sites and their respective exploding comments sections. Tony didn't envy him the task, happy to be doing something easy like monitoring nuclear missile launch sites and watching for signs of Armageddon. Or Ragnarok, given the company.

"Tony, I have to go," Rhodey said urgently. "The Vice-President is rushing into a meeting with the Joint Chiefs as we speak. Nothing good is going to come out of it. Find a way to get Ellis back."

"Thanks, Rhodey. No pressure."

"Let me know if you need anything."

"Do my best."

"That's all I ask."

Rhodey cut off just as Natasha materialized at Tony's side. She'd been quiet since dropping her info bomb on them in the lobby.

"How much do you know about how the Bifrost bridge works? Could we build one if we had to?" she asked him, keeping her voice low enough no one could hear her save Tony and Jarvis. And Bruce. He glanced up at that before going back to his web monitoring. Natasha kept her eyes on Thor and Loki while she talked.

"Are you kidding?" Tony said. "I've seen it in use. I've read all of Dr. Foster's work and got her email address so I could ask her questions. I've got two Norse gods living in my tower and I still have difficulty believing this thing is even real." He gave her an apologetic look. "Even if we could figure out how to get up there, what are we going to do? Roll up to the gate of a planet full of people like Loki and Thor, who we can hit with our best weapons and at best can knock them off their feet, and demand our leaders back?" He thought about it. "You think that would work? If we ask politely? We could pretend we're the Canadians."

Natasha walked away. She crossed the room and came to stand at Steve's shoulder. He hadn't budged from his place in front of Thor since he came in.

Loki leaned over the side of the chair, propping his chin up on one hand. "If you're both going to stand there, would you at least move over to the left a step or two. You're blocking my view."

Steve and Natasha didn't budge. Clint swooped down on the remote control and clicked the TV off before stepping up to flank Steve's other shoulder. Loki heaved an enormous, put upon sigh. Like he couldn't believe how unreasonable they were all being.

"Enough's enough," Steve said, sounding as authoritative and parental as he could manage being the third oldest person in the room. "What do we have to do to get Ellis back?"

"There is nothing to be done," Thor told him.

Steve shook his head. "I don't accept that. Thor, no matter what's happening here, you cannot allow the president to be harmed. The consequences would be enormous."

Thor was offended again. "If Asgard meant harm to your leaders, you would know it well. They would have all been struck down where they stood instead of taken to Asgard."

"Then why were they taken?"

Thor hesitated. "I am not certain."

"Why not?" Steve pressed.

"Because I am not there!"

"There has to be something we can do. Some offer we can make," Natasha cut in smoothly.

Loki laughed. Natasha looked down her nose at him. "That's funny?"

"Only if you think you have anything to offer that would be of interest to Odin," Loki told her. "I assure you, you do not."

Thor nodded once in agreement "Loki is right. Father has no interest in mortals or anything your world holds."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Natasha folded her arms across her chest, a shadow of amusement playing across her face. "We have the two of you."

This time Loki's laugh was bitter. Thor raised a confused eyebrow at her. "You think to try and hold us to trade for your leaders?"

She shrugged. "Why not? It's worth a shot."

Loki dismissed it. "Not a very good one, I should think."

"Got a better idea?" she asked.

Thor considered her. "How would you intend to hold us captive if we do not wish it?"

She flashed a small smile. "You could pretend."

Thor looked like he was giving it some thought. Loki rolled his eyes.

"Um, sorry to interrupt, but we may have a problem."

Everyone turned to look at Bruce. He took in their expressions with a slight grimace. "Okay, one more problem," he amended.

Tony blew out a noisy gush of air. "Do we really want to know? I vote no. How about you guys?"

"Same here," Clint said.

Steve rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. "What's going on now?" he asked, resigned.

Bruce stood up a little stiffly while still clutching his laptop. "So, I've been monitoring how the news has been breaking online, across news sites and social media. And word's starting to spread that the disappearances are related to whatever the military is currently doing in Manhattan. Near Stark Tower."

Tony pulled a face and started plugging into the spaces Bruce had been monitoring.

"Good news is it's only being talked about in a couple places, and is mostly speculation. No one knows anything for sure because this area has been locked down pretty tight," Bruce added. "But if more and more people start making the connection..." he trailed off.

"It won't be long before the networks pick up on it," Clint finished.

"Yeah," Bruce said. "That would probably be bad."

"Ya think?" Clint and Tony's response overlapped each other. They exchanged offended glares before Jarvis interrupted.

"Sir, I am detecting increased activity in the streets outside the tower," Jarvis said. "Also, there is a growing presence of military equipment and personnel at the original staging area."

Clint peeled off from guarding Steve's shoulder to start checking windows again. "They can't see in here anymore, right?"

"Nah," Tony said. "Once I engaged the tower's defence protocols, all the windows tinted on the outside. We can see out. They can't see in."

"That's good since there are snipers taking up positions in the building across the way," Clint said casually. "'Course they only need to switch to heat seeking mode to take us all out."

"Thanks for that cheerful update, Barton. Jarvis, let's put the anti-missile shielding in place. That should slow them down. Somewhat."

"Done, sir," Jarvis spoke as armour plating slid into place to cover all the windows in the room. The overhead lights brightened to compensate for the loss of outside light.

The room went dead quiet. Tony glanced around to see everyone staring at him. "What? It's not paranoia when people are shooting at you."

"True," Bruce agreed.  

"Sir, in monitoring radio communications I am seeing...sir, my communications protocols are once again being overwritten."

"Ah, crap!" Tony's fingers flew as he tried to stop Jarvis' communications channels from being hijacked.

"Avengers, this is Colonel Marks," came the not at all calm and pleasant voice of Tony's biggest irritant. He glanced over at Loki, whose leather clad ass was still planted in Tony's favourite chair. Okay, second biggest.

"I have orders to take the aliens known as Loki and Thor into custody. They have ten minutes to present themselves for surrender - unarmed - on the street outside the main entrance to Stark Tower."

"And if they don't?" Steve asked the question before Tony could.

"Then, Captain, we will come in after them. And if you get in my way, I will go through each and every one of you. Dr. Banner included."

The connection cut off before Tony could think up a snappy retort.

"Oh dear, whatever shall we do now?" Loki blinked innocently. "Thor, without all your dear friends to protect me, I'm afraid I am feeling somewhat more threatened than before." Loki paused dramatically as if pondering what he should do. "Shall I inform Heimdall? Again?"

Thunder crashed and rolled outside, shaking the walls of the tower.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much for this story only having two or three chapters. Fudging with the dates of the 2013 G8 summit a wee bit to match up with the one year later timeline, but not the location. Also making use of MCU's American president, Matthew Ellis. If you're enjoying this story, please let me know. Especially as some of my Google questions have probably landed me on a watchlist. :D


	4. Chapter 4

Natasha broke the heavy silence that followed. "Bastard stole my idea."

"If we survive this, I'll make sure you get the credit." Steve assured her, moving to take up a defensive position closer to the living room's double doors as if the army was going to come bursting through them before their ten minutes were up.

"Not necessary," she said, pulling her phone out. "I'll get over it." She retreated to a corner where Clint was still hovering near the now covered windows and put the phone to her ear, speaking too low for anyone else to hear.

"Okay, Jarvis, now's a good time to lock the front door and roll up the welcome mat."

"The entrances to the tower have all been secured, sir. I assume you are being facetious about the welcome mat."

"Got it in one." Tony eyed Bruce, "How are you doing?"

"Still not green," he said, not looking away from the Facebook page he was staring at.

"Awesome. Any costume changes in the offing?"

Bruce gave him a tight look. "I guess we'll see."

Before Tony could think of anything reassuring or calming to say, Thor was in motion. He snatched Loki up by his collar and hauled him out of the chair to stand eyeball to eyeball with him.

Loki raised his eyebrows in mock concern. "I take it you don't want me to call Heimdall?"

"After what has already occurred? Cease your mischief at once." Thor gave Loki's collar a shake. "Father placed you under my protection. I will handle this."

Loki was amused. "You're doing a marvelous job thus far."

"Out of morbid curiosity," Clint asked from his side of the room, "what'll happen if he does call for help?"

Thor face was like, well, thunder. "For this second offence, Asgard's king will likely send forces down to defend us."

"Wow, because that wouldn't be throwing a few refineries worth of unleaded onto the five-alarm inferno or anything."

Thor glared at Tony like he knew something was being said everyone but Thor understood. "For Asgardian forces to be brought to Midgard at this time it would be as stoking the fires of an already tense situation."

"That's what I just said."

"Then perhaps you should speak clearer."

"I understood him." Loki piped up.

"You did not." Thor shot back.

Steve pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Probably wishing he was somewhere else. "Can we please all focus?"

"Good chance we could make this all go away if Asgard just releases their hostages," Tony pointed out. Jarvis was monitoring news worldwide and reports were starting to crop up of riots breaking out all over the world in reaction to disappearance of the G8 leaders. Dozens of countries had already declared state of emergencies and all the big military powers showed signs of gearing up for war. Including theirs.

Thor became more irate, his fist tightening where he still had Loki's collar in his grip. "I have already said Asgard has not taken your leaders hostage."

Loki tapped his foot and hissed something unintelligible, trying to twist out of Thor's grip. Thor ignored him. Loki then did something with his hand that looked like he was trying to direct traffic. Nothing happened. Then Loki wrapped his hand around Thor's wrist, working under his vambrace and digging his nails into Thor's skin. Thor shot him a deeply irritated look and released him. Loki let go of Thor's wrist like it was on fire and backed off a step. They glared at each other, each holding their ground.

 _What the hell?_ Tony exchanged a long, confused look with Bruce.

"Um, Thor," Bruce said, "no offence, maybe we're losing something in translation here, but do you understand that's kinda what it looks like from our point of view?"

Thor redirected his irritation back their way. "I understand well, though perhaps it is you who does not understand. If Asgard wanted your leaders dead they would have struck them down where they stood in front of your primitive recording devices for all your people to see."

Tony's head swiveled Bruce's way again. Nope, he still didn't get it either. Tony shook his head. "I don't get it. Are we missing something? What - Asgard doesn't take hostages?"

"Of course not." Thor couldn't look more affronted if Tony had said something rude about his mother, which Tony made a mental note not to do. Ever.

Loki snorted.

"Something to add there, Thumper?" Loki sent Tony a frosty glare and remained silent.

"I know not why your leaders were removed from your realm," Thor said. "But Asgard does not deal with such pettiness as hostage taking."

"Big of them."

Thor eyeballed Clint like he smelled an insult in there somewhere, but wasn't quite sure. "Those who take others hostage are vile scum deserving of the shameful death that will surely visit them as well as the dishonour that will plague them for eternity thereafter."

 _Yikes!_ Not that Tony disagreed in basic principle, but still - _yikes!_

Bruce leaned back in his seat, his face warring between confusion and deep thinking. "So, if Asgard doesn't want to kill our world leaders, or hold them as hostages, then what could they want with them?"

"Oh, Thor didn't say death wouldn't come to them," Loki offered up helpfully before Thor could answer. "Just if Odin meant to kill them at the outset, he would have done so. Now that they are in Asgard, there are so many additional ways for them to meet their end. For example, should they insult the Allfather or offer any disrespect to him in his own realm." Loki looked around him. "Not that any of your gloriously dignified leaders would do such a careless thing, I am sure," he said it generously, as one who had never experienced politics of any kind in any country, or realm, might.

The room went silent again. Loki took in their expressions with an air of satisfied smugness.

"Shit."

"Took the word right out of my mouth, Rogers," Tony said.

 

***  *  ***

 

"Stop antagonizing them!" Thor made another grab for his brother.

"Why should I?" Loki laughed, dancing away from Thor's grasp and putting the chair between them.

"They are trying to help us! You should show some gratitude."

"I don't recall asking for their aid. Or yours," Loki snapped, smart-ass facade melting away into something darker. Uglier. Loki planted both hands on the back of the chair and leaned forward to snarl at his brother. "In fact, I don't recall being given any say in the matter at all."

"See! We should have just tossed him out on the street when this all started," Clint said.

"No one is tossing anyone out onto the street." Back to the doors, Steve had his shield held firmly against his body. Giving the impression that going in or going out, anyone would have to get through him first.

Natasha pulled her phone away from her ear and tucked it away. She lightly touched Clint's arm and leaned in to whisper something too quiet for anyone to hear. Tony spared a thought toward calling out their whispering in a corner, but then decided against it. On the one hand, if she had devised plan to get them out of this, she would share it with them soon enough. On the other hand, if she just learned fingers all over the world were poised to hit the nuke buttons, Tony decided he didn't want to know.

Tony turned to Bruce. "Okay, if we get Dr. Foster on the line and you and I become experts in astrophysics really quick, how fast you figure we could build a Bifrost? I probably have everything we need just lying around the tower."

Bruce sighed and rubbed at his eyes under his glasses. "I guess it depends. Do we want one that will transport people all in one piece?"

"At this point I say that's optional."

"Best move quickly then," Loki chimed in. "I think you'll find you're running out of time."

Tony swung his attention back to Loki. "You've loving this, aren't you? You've been waiting for this since you got here."

Loki feigned surprise. "Oh? Have I?"

Tony pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You knew we were under surveillance." He didn't miss the look of dismay Thor shot Loki. "And since you're not entirely stupid, you probably figured what might happen once people realized you were back on Earth."

"Why, Stark. Do tone down your praise, I may begin to blush."

In one swift movement, Thor kicked aside the chair Loki was hiding behind before Loki could react and stalked forward. "Is this true?" Thor demanded. "Did you know we were being spied upon?"

Tony had to hand it to Loki. Most people faced with the sight of an angry Thor bearing down on them would understandably piss themselves in terror. Loki just looked unimpressed.

"What if I did?"

If anything, Loki's nonchalant response made Thor's angrier. "Why did you not inform me of this? You heard what Father said before we left Asgard. He was very clear in his orders, Loki."

Loki tilted his chin up and shot Thor a look filled with defiance. "Perhaps I don't care to follow orders from a man who is not my father, nor my king."

"Told ya," Bruce muttered. "Huge issues. Raging issues."

Tony nodded his agreement. "If we ever form a 'our dads sucked' club, he could be president. Maybe that would be enough to get him off the world domination kick."

Bruce glanced at him askance. "Would you want to be in a club with him?"

"Um, no. Do I look crazy?"

If Bruce had an opinion on Tony's sanity, he wisely kept it to himself and went back to his online monitoring, doing his best to ignore the the Norse god melodrama unfolding in Tony's living room.

To say Thor had an impressive temper was to say Tony had a decent amount of money. Tony didn't need to uncover the windows to guess what colour the sky was turning overhead. At least not when he had Jarvis to tell him.

"The forces gathered outside the tower are retreating to safe cover to escape the storm, sir."

Smart bastards.

"You dare renounce our father! After everything that has happened?"

Though Thor's anger easily filled the room and the skies, Loki's was no less terrifying. Thor's anger was motion and thunder and the eyeball searing brightness of lightning crashing to the ground before you. Loki's anger was sharp, dark and cold, like a frigid winter's night. Beautiful to look at even knowing that being exposed to it for too long could kill you.

" _After everything that has happened?"_ Loki echoed back, his voice low and vicious. "Like hiding the truth of my true parentage? Raising me to believe I ever had a chance to be equal to his true son, while he favoured you at every turn? Throwing me in the dungeons upon my return and leaving me there to _rot_ while he celebrated your glorious victory over the misbehaving Frost Giant?"

Thor stared at him, mouth agape. "How can you...that is not true! If anything, you were the one whose judgement our father trusted more."

It was Loki's turn to gape, but it quickly dissolved into bitter laughter. "You are truly a fool if you believe Odin ever trusted me."

"Oh? Then why it is I recall whenever there were conflict arising in Asgard or elsewhere, it was your opinion he sought over mine? He hardly ever bothered to ask what I thought!"

"Maybe because he knew the answer - 'Let's go to war, Father. Let's crush them with our might.'" Loki's mimic of Thor was disturbingly pitch perfect. "What a perfectly reasonable way to settle a trade dispute."

"I did not!" Thor yelled.

"Yes, you did!" Loki yelled back.

"Only ever did I advocate war when I believed Asgard was being threatened," Thor said. "As I recall, you agreed me with more than enough."

Loki squawked in disbelief. Thor rushed on before he could speak. "And there were no celebrations upon your imprisonment, how dare you suggest otherwise! Our family, our parents grieved your loss, Loki. Even after you returned, they grieved for you because they couldn't understand what had happened."

"I'm sure you all mourned me day and night," Loki said snidely. "I cannot fathom how difficult it must have been for all of you, asking about me constantly while I was locked up in a cell beneath your feet."

Thor's face darkened. "There were many, many questions asked about you as we tried to discover the truth of what had happened to you before the answers arrived, before Thanos' forces showed up and attacked us. And you."

Thanos? Tony tapped the name into a screen and had Jarvis run a trace. He found nothing. Glancing around the room, he saw the name wasn't generating any recognition, only confusion. Natasha had her phone out again, tapping out a message.

Thor and Loki seemed to have forgotten there was anyone else in the room with them as the brothers stood face-to-face ripping into each other. Tony wondered if it had always been like this between them, everyone around them melting into the background whenever they were focused on each other.

"Imagine our horror when we realized where you had been all the time you were missing. Father's rage at the Titan on your behalf was far greater than anything I have ever witnessed. Everything he does now is to keep you safe from falling back into Thanos' hands and still you doubt him. We are here now because of Mother's worry for your well-being. But perhaps she was wrong, perhaps you would have preferred to have been hidden within the _hylr_ while we dealt with Thanos."

Loki's face drained of what little colour it still had as his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Perhaps that would have been your preference. To have me completely out of sight, left to go slowly mad while you busied yourself with promises of more war to come at Odin's side. Your greatest dream come true."

Loki hadn't moved an inch, but Thor still looked like he had struck him. "That is not so. When I went before our father on bended knee and swore I would keep you safe, I meant every word. Loki, you are twisting everything. Why do you do this?" Thor wore his pain and confusion so plainly on his face, it was almost embarrassing to watch. Almost. Tony couldn't tear his gaze away.

Loki scoffed. He held himself still with his arms rigidly at his sides, but, unlike the rest of him, his fingers moved restlessly.

"And what am I to take from that?"

"Whatever suits you. As usual."

Thor's anger returned in a rush. "What in the name of Yggdrasil is wrong with you?"

Loki's answering laugh was as brief as it was bitter. "Dearest, Thor. Wherever should I start? How about with my birth? That was certainly wrong. Even Laufey thought so."

Thor looked wrecked. Like Loki had just ripped his heart out of his chest and stomped on it for giggles. But Loki didn't look like he was having much fun judging by how his eyes were suddenly suspiciously shiny.

Tony had to look away then. A glance around the room saw the rest of the Avengers finding other things more interesting than the Norse soap opera in their midst. Natasha was fiddling with one of her cuffs, Clint was examining an arrow with more intensity than necessary, Steve was staring at his shield, and Bruce...

"What are you doing?" Tony staged whispered.

Bruce was typing furiously. "One of the commenters called Natasha the weakest, most useless Avenger. And some other stuff."

"Ripping them a new one?"

"Yes."

"You go."

Thor and Loki were still giving each other the big and sad (Thor) and angry and wet (Loki) eyes treatment. "Look, I hate to break up this latest episode of Days of Our Asgardian Lives," Tony said. "Especially since I have so many new questions. But can I just remind everyone we have an army amassing on our doorstep? One that intends to huff and puff and blow all my doors down with high-powered explosives if you two aren't downstairs in the next," Tony glanced down at the bottom corner his screen where Jarvis had helpfully put up a countdown timer, "- fuck me - two and a half minutes? Wow, that went by faster than a season of Game of Thrones."

Thor tore his gaze away from Loki. He gave each of them a look of steady resolve. "I will not allow them to take my brother captive."

Natasha's smile looked like it was going for reassuring before giving up on the impossible and settling on grim. "We kinda figured that."

Standing at her shoulder, Clint's face never once wavered from its default grim setting. "Can I just point out how messy this is going to get if they come in here and this turns into a firefight? Like coating the walls in blood - likely ours - messy?" No attempts at reassurance there, nope.

Thor bowed his head for a moment. When he raised it again, his expression was a careful blank. "My friends, I am grateful for your aid in sheltering me and my brother. But I cannot ask of you to fight your own on our behalf. I will deal with this matter myself."

"You intend to fight an army single-handedly?" Loki said, voice waspish. "What am I thinking, of course you do."

The rest of them got the blank expression, but when Thor looked at Loki, he just looked sad. "If they attack me, I will defend myself. And you no less. I have not always protected you well,  I know this. In the past, I failed you. But no more, Loki. I will die before I allow you to come to further harm."

Loki opened his mouth, but closed it after a moment without saying anything. He looked away, like he couldn't stand the weight of Thor's gaze one moment longer.

Clearly having no qualms about stepping into A Moment, Steve left his post by the door and approached the brothers. "Thor, I'm sorry. I understand how you feel, I do, but I can't let you go out there and kill American soldiers for following their orders. Even if we don't agree with them."

"What do you suggest I do?" Thor asked, his voice thick and low.

Steve hesitated a beat. "Surrender. Let them take you and Loki in."

"What?!" said everyone.

Talk about a plot twist. None of them saw that coming. They all stared at Steve wordlessly. Even Loki. Tony was the first to find his voice again. "Well, that's a bad plan." Clint made a noise of agreement.

Steve had the nerve to raise his eyebrows in surprise. "Why?"

"Um," Tony swept his arms out at his sides in an _are-you-kidding-me?_ gesture, "were you napping when the whole worse than the Raft thing was being discussed?"

Steve sighed. "No. But that was before President Ellis and the others were taken. Now they want Thor, too. Things have changed."

"Obviously!" Maybe Steve had been kidnapped and replaced with his evil twin when Tony wasn't looking? He looked for any signs of an evil twin goatee, but Steve's face was as hairless as ever. Probably for best. Tony didn't think Steve could pull off decent facial hair anyway.

"Tony..." Steve began.

Thor cut in before Steve had a chance to plead his case. "I will not surrender," Thor said firmly, his voice as immovable as the rest of him.

"What if I surrendered with you?"

"What?" And there they all went again. Even Bruce paused in his flaming of Internet trolls.

"I'll go out there with Thor and Loki," Steve explained, like this was a perfectly reasonable plan. "Ask them to take me into custody as well. Maybe I can help keep things calm."

Tony knew his mouth was hanging open against his will, but it still took him a couple tries to regain control. "Newsflash, Rogers, I don't think Marks is the type who grew up with your poster on his bedroom wall."

"Stark's got a point, Cap," Clint said.

Steve shrugged to concede the point. "Maybe he didn't. But I'll be willing to bet at least some of the soldiers out there did. So let's use it."

"Use _you_ , you mean," Natasha said pointedly.

"Why not?" Steve adjusted his stance to make his argument directly to her. "One thing I've learned since coming back is the uniform and shield mean something to a lot of people. This may be a good time to use it to our advantage."

"By using you to defuse tensions in what could turn out to be an interplanetary conflict?" Natasha sounded as skeptical as Tony felt.

"By using Captain America," Steve corrected.

"And sending Steve Rogers along for the ride?"

"Why not? I have it on pretty good authority he's a stubborn guy. Might even be stubborn enough to get his way here." He smiled at her and she returned it with a lopsided, half-grin of her own, like this was a plan she could get behind and not, in fact, a plan that was completely nuts.

"I cannot ask such a thing of you," Thor said.

Steve turned back to Thor. "You're not, Thor. I'm offering. It's what friends do for each other. Let me help you."

Thor's face raged with indecision. Loki folded his arms across his chest and huffed, but remained otherwise silent at Thor's side.

"Getting into a fight with these people is a bad idea," Steve continued. "They've got us boxed in. If this turns into a fight, it'll get ugly fast. Maybe you're okay with fighting your way out, but I don't want to see people die over this. Not us, not them. And if we can't fight our way out, then surrendering will buy more time."

Bruce set his computer aside and came to stand at Tony's shoulder. "Time for what?"

Steve's gaze swept the room, looking at them all in turn. Letting them all know his mind was made up and possibly also to inspire them with confidence. Or something. "To figure out how to get the president back."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't fret, dear readers. Steve 'will fight anyone, anything, anytime' Rogers does actually have a plan. As to whether it's a _good_ plan, well...opinions may vary. ;-) Stay tuned!


End file.
